Oct. 2, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. & LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Sophomore Brook Buck (Yukon, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School) and freshman Kelcy Tefft (Enid, Okla./Chisholm H.S.) of the Notre Dame women’s tennis team upset a top-20 team en route to claiming the Hoosier Classic doubles championship Sunday at Indiana University’s Outdoor Varsity Tennis Courts, while junior Christian Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.) beat a third ranked player in advancing through prequalifying to the qualifying draw of the season’s first grand slam, the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center.
The 60th-ranked pair of Buck and Tefft – reunited this fall after formerly being the nation’s top-ranked 18-and-under team in juniors action – defeated two teams from the host school. In the semis, they downed Alba Berdala and Cecile Perton 8-6 before knocking off the 19th-ranked team in college tennis, Sarah Batty and Laura McGaffigan, by a 9-7 score in the title match. Tefft finished her first collegiate tournament unbeaten after claiming the “C” flight singles championship on Saturday.
Thompson defeated a second seeded player in as many days and a third nationally-ranked opponent in three matches in earning one of the eight spots in the qualifying tournament that were up for grabs in prequalifying. On Sunday, she defeated third-seeded and 102nd-ranked Kelly Anderson of Georgia Tech 6-3, 6-2. In three matches against players ranked between #100-125, Thompson dropped just 14 total games (2.3 per set). The Irish junior – who had a strong rookie season at No. 2 for the Irish before struggling much of last year due to injuries – came into the weekend with just two career wins over ranked players, but she more than matched that total in a two-day span. Thompson will now join her twin sister, 27th-ranked Irish junior Catrina Thompson (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman H.S.), in the qualifying draw of the All-American Championships, which will run Tuesday and Wednesday. The twins – ranked #2 nationally – are already in the main draw in doubles.
Seniors Lauren Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness H.S.) and Kristina Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph’s Academy) also were in the Hoosier Classic semifinals, but they lost 8-5 to Batty and McGaffigan. The Irish veterans rebounded by beating Kansas State’s Fernanda De Valle and Vivian Yrureta 8-2 in consolation play.
Senior Kelly Nelson (St. Petersburg, Fla./Shorecrest Preparatory School) and freshman Katie Potts (Brookfield, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels H.S.) also grabbed a consolation victory, beating Anna and Rachael Lask of Murray State 8-4.
Hoosier Classic, Day Three (October 2)Doubles#19 Sarah Batty/Laura McGaffigan (Indiana) d. Lauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny (ND) 8-5 - semifinals#60 Brook Buck/Kelcy Tefft (ND) d. Alba Berdala/Cecile Perton (Indiana) 8-6 - semifinals#60 Brook Buck/Kelcy Tefft (ND) d. #19 Sarah Batty/Laura McGaffigan (Indiana) 9-7 - championshipLauren Connelly/Kristina Stastny (ND) d. Fernanda De Valle/Vivian Yrureta (Kansas State) 8-2 - consolationKelly Nelson/Katie Potts (ND) d. Anna Lask/Rachael Lask (Murray State) 8-4 - consolationBrittany Brown/Christine Skoda (Kansas) d. Kelly Nelson/Katie Potts (ND) 8-0 - consolationAdriana Alvarez/Tami McQueen (Murray State) d. Nikki Hein (Indiana)/Bailey Louderback (ND) 8-6
Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships (October 2)Singles - PrequalifyingChristian Thompson (ND) d. [3] #102 Kelly Anderson (Georgia Tech) 6-3, 6-2 - qualifying round
Note: Numbers in brackets are seedings. Numbers preceding names are ITA national rankings.